Since my non-traditional beef-vegetable soup seemed compatible with a Saints victory last week, I decided to skip the “football foods” again this week.

Okay, I did grill some pork sausages, but I paired them with French green lentils and pan-roasted turnips.

The roasted turnips, from a , were a revelation:  crusty, tangy, slightly sweet, though their slightly bitter, peppery nature shone through.  Where potatoes are merely starchy vehicles for fat & seasonings, the turnips had an assertive presence, holding their own against Bergeron’s hot sausage.

Using a Mario Batali recipe, I peeled and quartered the turnips, then pan-roasted them in butter for 9-12 minutes, turning them to brown all sides.  Once tender, I added sweet Hungarian paprika and poppyseeds, then a few tablespoons of red wine vinegar, raised the heat to high, and cooked off the vinegar.  I was pleasantly surprised with the results–I inherited a turnip-loathing from my mother, but it turns out to be based on hearsay.